A close-up look at NYC education policy, politics,and the people who have been, are now, or will be affected by acts of corruption and fraud. ATR CONNECT assists individuals who suddenly find themselves in the ATR ("Absent Teacher Reserve") pool and are the "new" rubber roomers, and re-assigned. The terms "rubber room" and "ATR" mean that you or any person has been targeted for removal from your job. A "Rubber Room" is not a place, but a process.

Monday, November 16, 2015

The empathy trap: therapists and counselors almost by
definition are empathic, to facilitate clients' recovery - but this quality can
mean those carers are targets for sociopaths, aided by what Dr Jane & Tim
McGregor call "apaths". The first UK article on this cruel sport
shows how to identify and thus avoid it.

People
targeted by a sociopath often respond with self-deprecating comments like
"I was stupid", "what was I thinking" of "I should've
listened to my gut instinct". But being involved with a sociopath is like
being brainwashed. The sociopath's superficial charm is usually the means by
which s/he conditions people.

On
initial contact, a sociopath will often test other people's empathy, so questions
geared towards discovering if you are highly empathic or not should ring alarm
bells. People with a highly empathic disposition are often targeted. Those with
lower levels of empathy are often passed over, though they can be drawn in and
used by sociopaths as part of their cruel entertainment.

Sociopaths
make up 25% of the prison population, committing over twice as many aggressive
acts as other criminals. The reoffending rate of sociopaths is about double
that of other offenders, and for violent crimes it is triple.

But not
all sociopaths are found in prison. There is the less-visible burden of
sociopath-induced emotional trauma which, if left unchecked, can lead to
anxiety disorders, depression and post-traumatic stress disorder.

Exposure
to and interaction with a sociopath in childhood can leave lifelong scars. This
can apply to people in therapy - and for those who in recovery trained as
therapists, re-exposure as an adult can trigger old emotions and PTSD.

This
article is not about sociopathsper se but
about surviving the harm they cause.

EVERYDAY
SOCIOPATHS

Many
sociopaths wreak havoc in a covert way, so that their underlying condition
remains hidden for years. They can possess a superficial charm, and this
diverts attention from disturbing aspects of their nature.

The
following case history illustrates how people can be systematically targeted
until they feel they can barely trust their own sense of reality - what we call
"gaslighting". Sociopathic abuse is targeted abuse. It can wreck
lives. Victims can become survivors, but at huge cost.

At
school, 'James' took a dislike to a classmate, 'Sam', who was sensitive and
popular. He would mock him for auditioning for the school play or for getting
upset over failing a test. The situation deteriorated when it became known that
Sam's parents were separating. Sam appeared to be taking it with fortitude, to
the admiration of his peers. He also got attention and sympathy from the school
staff, especially James' favourite teacher: ie, the one he manipulated most
easily.

James
decided on a plan of covert bullying. He started a whispering campaign implying
that Sam's parents were not splitting up, that he had said they were in order
to seek attention. Sadly, this was all too successful and over the next few
days Sam was met with silence and verbal bullying from his hitherto-supportive
classmates.

James
continued his campaign, targeting Sam's close friends over the next few days.
They found themselves accused of misdemeanours such as sending offensive
emails/texts. Then the 'favourite' teacher went on "leave with immediate
effect" after accusations of assaulting a pupil. Where had the accusations
come from? Guess.

This case
shows how deliberately sociopaths, from a young age, can target others. Taking
advantage of people's credibility and goodwill, James exploited the situation.
With a more perceptive head teacher, this sociopath might have been found out,
but he knew who to manipulate and how far he could go.

SEE
THE EMPEROR/EMPRESS'S CLOTHES

To deal with sociopaths effectively, you first need to open
your eyes. In The Emperor's New Clothes by Hans Christian Anderson, two weavers
promise the emperor a new suit of clothes that is invisible to those who are
stupid and unfit for their positions.

When the
emperor parades before his subjects, all the adults, not wishing to be seen in
a negative light, pretend they can see the clothes. The only truthful person is
a child who cries "But he isn't wearing any clothes!".

You, too,
need to see sociopaths as they really are. We are conditioned to keep quiet,
which often means turning a blind eye to or putting up with abuse.

The boy
in the tale represents those who see the problem behavior for what it is and
find the courage of their convictions to make a stand. Sight becomes insight,
which turns into action. Awareness is the first step in limiting the negative
effects of contact with a sociopath.

INTERACTIONS
OF THE SOCIOPATH

Let's
look at what we term the Socio-Empath-Apath Triad, or Seat. Unremitting abuse
of other people is an activity of the sociopath that stands out. To win their
games, sociopaths enlist the help of hangers-on: apaths.

The apath. We call those who collude in the sport of the
sociopath apathetic, or apaths. In this situation, it means a lack of concern
or being indifferent to the targeted person.

We have
highlighted the importance of seeing the problem for what it is via the tale of
the Emperor's New Clothes, which represents the collective denial and double
standards which are often a feature of social life. The apath in this context
is someone who is willing to be blind: ie, not to see that the emperor/empress
is naked.

Apaths
are an integral part of the sociopath's arsenal and contribute to sociopathic
abuse. Sociopaths have an uncanny knack of knowing who will assist them in bringing
down the person they are targeting. It is not necessarily easy to identify an
apath; in other circumstances, an apath can show ample empathy and concern for
others - just not in this case. The one attribute an apath must have is a link
to the target.

How
apaths, who might otherwise be fair-minded people, become involved in such
destructive business is not hard to understand, but it can be hard to accept.
The main qualifying attribute is poor judgment resulting from lack of insight.
They might be jealous of or angry at the target, and thus have something to
gain from the evolving situation.

At other
times, the apath might not want to see the 'bad' in someone, particularly if
the sociopath is useful. Or they might choose not to see because they have enough
on their plate and do not possess the wherewithal or moral courage to help the
targeted person at that time. Usually, be it active or passive involvement, the
apath's conscience appears to fall asleep. It is this scenario that causes
people blindly to follow leaders motivated only by self-interest.

Readers
might know of Yale University professor Stanley Milgram's experiments to test
the human propensity to obey orders, as participants gave increasingly large
electric shocks to subjects. Afterwards, he wrote an article, The Perils of
Obedience: "Ordinary people, simply doing their jobs and without any
particular hostility on their part, can become agents in a terrible destructive
process".

Apaths
are often fearful people. They are the ones most likely to go with the flow, to
agree that the emperor/empress is wearing new clothes. They might also fail to
perceive the threat: a danger is of no importance if you deny its existence.

An
apath's response to a sociopath's call to arms can then result from a state of
'learned helplessness'. Apaths behave defenselessly because they want to avoid
unpleasant or harmful circumstances [including the sociopath turning on them].
Apathy is an avoidance strategy.

The empath. Often, the person targeted by the sociopath is
an empath. Empaths are ordinary people who are highly perceptive and insightful
and belong to the 40% of human beings who sense when something's not right, who
respond to their gut instinct. In The Emperor's New Clothes, the empath is the
boy who mentions the unmentionable: that there are no clothes.

In the
1990s, researchers suggested that there was a positive relationship between
empathy and emotional intelligence. Since then, that term has been used interchangeably
with emotional literacy.

What this
means in practice is that empaths have the ability to understand their own
emotions, to listen to other people and empathise with their emotions, to
express emotions productively and to handle their emotions in such a way as to
improve their personal power.People
are often attracted to empaths because of their compassionate nature. A
particular attribute is that they are sensitive to the emotional distress of
others. Conversely, they have trouble comprehending a closed mind and lack of
compassion in others.

Very
highly empathic people can find themselves helping others at the expense of
their own needs, which can lead them to withdraw from the world at times.

It is
odd. Most of us enjoy watching films and reading books about heroes who refuse
to go along with the crowd, which suggests there is something admirable about
people who make a bold stand.

But in
real life, watching someone raise their head above the parapet often makes the
rest of us feel queasy. Most - the 60% majority - prefer the easy life. It was
interesting to discover, when doing the research for this book, how often
people see empaths in problematical terms.

Empaths
use their ability to emphasize and to boost theirs and others' well being and
safety. Problems arise for empaths, however, when there are apaths in the
vicinity. Empaths can be brought down, distressed and forced into the position
of the lone fighter by the inaction of more apathetic types round them.

THE
SOCIOPATHIC TRANSACTION

Often
empaths are targeted by sociopaths because they pose the greatest threat. The
empath is usually the first to detect that something is not right and express
what s/he senses.

As a
consequence, the empath is both the sociopath's number one foe and a source of
attraction; the empath's responses and actions provide excellent entertainment
for sociopaths, who use and abuse people for sport.

The world
of the empath is not for the faint-hearted. In the context we are discussing,
empaths often find themselves up against not only the sociopath but often a
flock of apaths as well. Apaths are afforded pole position in the sociopath's
intrigues.

But this
prime spot comes at a price for, in what we call the "sociopathic
transaction", the apath makes an unspoken Faustian pact with the
sociopath, then passively or otherwise participates in the cruel sport.

SOCIOPATH-EMPATH-APATH TRIAD

The usual
set-up goes like this: the empath is forced to make a stand on seeing the
sociopath say or do something underhand. The empath challenges the sociopath,
who straight away throws others off the scent and shifts the blame on to the
empath. The empath becomes an object of abuse when the apath corroborates the
sociopath's perspective.

The
situation usually ends badly for the empath and sometimes also for the apath,
if their conscience returns to haunt them or they later become an object of
abuse themselves. But, frustratingly, the sociopath often goes scot free.

Sociopaths
rarely vary this tried-and-tested formula because it virtually guarantees them
success.

Sociopaths
draw in apaths by various means: flattery, bribery, disorienting them with
lies. A sociopath will go to any lengths to win her game. The best way to
illustrate the interplay, and the ease with which apaths are pulled in, is by
another short story.

'Steve
and Robin' were microbiologists at a prestigious university, collaborating on
an important vaccine trial. The department head, Ben, hoped to gain
substantially; success could see his status in his field rise and prove the
catalyst for a glittering career.

His
colleagues worked relentlessly collecting data, then Ben drafted a paper for
submission to a respected journal. He decided that the outcome didn't look
tantalising, so falsified key results in order to present findings in the best
light. On completing the draft, he sent the paper for comment to his
colleagues. Steve replied by email that he was happy with the manuscript; he
used the opportunity to suck up to his boss. But Robin was aghast, noting
colossal errors. With great urgency, he rattled off an email to Ben.

Receiving
no response to this or a phone call, Robin went to find Ben in person,
discovering him in the cafeteria with Steve. But he was too late. Ben had
poisoned Steve's mind, saying that Robin had challenged him over the accuracy
of the results, due to a longstanding grudge. Ben said he had to pull Robin up
about his own work several months back. Steve was different, Ben implied. He
intimated Steve would be on course for promotion "especially if we get
this paper out and secure funding for the next-stage trials".

By the
time Ben joined them, Steve, though initially shocked, had been won over by
Ben's swift flattery and insinuations

Robin
crossed the cafeteria to them. "Hi, you two got a moment?" Briefly
there was an awkward silence. Steve exchanged a look with Ben, who gave a
slight conspiratorial smile, now that the transaction was done and the sport
under way. "Yes, we were just talking about the paper. By the way, I did
see your email, but if you look at the paper thoroughly, I think you'll find
that everything is correct." Steve replied with a smug look that "I'm
with Ben on this one". Robin was floored. "You can't be serious?
You're happy for it to go off to be reviewed with all these serious errors? Our
reputations will be left in ruins."

He
decided to make a stand. He asked for his name to be removed as a co-author but
was exasperated to learn that it was sent off to the journal anyway. More
frustratingly, it was published. Meanwhile, the workplace became a source of
stress for Robin as he struggled to cope with the backlash from colleagues who
saw his intervention as an attempt to sabotage their work. People avoided him
and, when they did talk to him, the conversation was stilted.

Eventually
Robin arranged a meeting with Ben to have it out once and for all. But Ben took
control of the agenda. "Robin, I have to be honest with you, many of your
colleagues are unhappy about the way you handled things and some have made
complaints. They don't trust you to conduct yourself professionally after you
attempted to sabotage their hard work. Mercifully the reviewers saw what a fine
trial we'd conducted and didn't get wind of your attempted slur.

"We
can't afford to have a saboteur on the team. So I've discussed this with the
dean and he agrees there is no future for you here, and there's no other way to
deal with this. You've got to go."Any phase
of this story sound familiar?

THE
GASLIGHTING EFFECT

In the
story above, the actions of Ben and Steve have a 'gaslighting' effect on Robin.
Gaslighting is a systematic attempt by one person to erode another's reality.The syndrome gets its name from the play and films of the
same name in which a murderer strives to make his wife doubt her sanity and get
others to disbelieve her.

Gaslighting is a form of psychological abuse in which false information is
presented in such a way as to make the target doubt his/her memory and
perception. Psychologists call this "the sociopath's dance". It could
involve denial or staging of strange events.

This is Machiavellian behaviour of the worst kind. And anyone can become a
victim of the sociopath's gaslighting moves: parent and child, in-laws,
friends, groups of people including work colleagues.

Psychotherapist Christine Louise de Canonville describes different phases that
the abuser leads the relationship through:

the idealisation stage, where
the sociopath shows herself in the best possible light - but this phase is
an illusion, to draw her target in

the devaluation stage begins
gradually so the target is not alert to the sociopath's transformation to
being cold and unfeeling, but will begin to feel devalued at every turn;
the more distressed the target becomes, the more the sociopath enjoys her
power, and her abuse can become more extreme

the discarding stage - the
target is reduced to an object to which the sociopath is indifferent,
seeing the game as won; the sociopath rejects any connection, moving on to
the next target.

Gaslighting does not happen all at once so, if you suspect
in the early stages of a relationship that you are being gaslighted, you can
protect yourself by walking away.

To learn more, including how to recover from exposure to a prolonged
sociopathic transaction, buy The
Empathy Trap: Understanding antisocial personalitiesby
Dr Jane and Tim McGregor (Sheldon Press, ISBN 978-1847092762).

Comment: DR JANE McGREGOR is a freelance
trainer and lecturer at the Institute of Mental Health, University of
Nottingham. She holds a PhD in public health and worked in the NHS and voluntary
sector, mostly in the field of addiction treatment.

TIM
McGREGOR is freelance consultant and trainer, and a mental-health practitioner
of many years' standing. He has worked in the NHS and voluntary sector, most
recently as a commissioning adviser.

There’s
an enormous amount of research suggesting that emotional intelligence (EQ) is
critical to your performance at work.TalentSmarthas tested the EQ of more than a million people and found that
it explains 58% of success in all types of jobs.

People
with high EQs make $29,000 more annually than people with low EQs. Ninety
percent of top performers have high EQs, and a single-point increase in your EQ
adds $1,300 to your salary. I could go on and on.

Suffice
it to say, emotional intelligence is a powerful way to focus your energy in one
direction with tremendous results.

But
there’s a catch. Emotional intelligence won’t do a thing for you if you aren’t
genuine.

A
recent study from the Foster School of Business at the University of Washington
found that people don’t accept demonstrations of emotional intelligence at face
value. They’re too skeptical for that. They don’t just want to see signs of
emotional intelligence. They want to know that it’s genuine—that your emotions
are authentic.

According
to lead researcher Christina Fong, when it comes to your coworkers,

“They are not just mindless automatons.
They think about the emotions they see and care whether they are sincere or
manipulative.”

The
same study found that sincere leaders are far more effective at motivating
people because they inspire trust and admiration through theiractions, not just their words.
Many leaderssaythat
authenticity is important to them, but genuine leaders walk their talk every
day.

It’s
not enough to just go through the motions, trying to demonstrate qualities that
are associated with emotional intelligence. You have to be genuine.

You can
do a gut check to find out how genuine you are by comparing your own behavior
to that of people who are highly genuine. Consider the hallmarks of genuine
people and see how you stack up.

Genuine people don’t try to make people like them.Genuine people are who they are. They know that some people will
like them, and some won’t. And they’re okay with that. It’s not that they don’t
care whether or not other people will like them but simply that they’re not
going to let that get in the way of doing the right thing. They’re willing to
make unpopular decisions and to take unpopular positions if that’s what needs
to be done.

Since
genuine people aren’t desperate for attention, they don’t try to show off. They
know that when they speak in a friendly, confident, and concise manner, people
are much more attentive to and interested in what they have to say than if they
try to show that they’re important. People catch on to your attitude quickly
and are more attracted to the right attitude than what or how many people you
know.

They don’t pass judgment.Genuine
people are open-minded, which makes them approachable and interesting to
others. No one wants to have a conversation with someone who has already formed
an opinion and is not willing to listen.

Having
an open mind is crucial in the workplace, as approachability means access to
new ideas and help. To eliminate preconceived notions and judgment, you need to
see the world through other people’s eyes. This doesn’t require you to believe
what they believe or condone their behavior; it simply means you quit passing
judgment long enough to truly understand what makes them tick. Only then can
you let them be who they are.

They forge their own paths.Genuine
people don’t derive their sense of pleasure and satisfaction from the opinions
of others. This frees them up to follow their own internal compasses. They know
who they are and don’t pretend to be anything else. Their direction comes from
within, from their own principles and values. They do what they believe to be
the right thing, and they’re not swayed by the fact that somebody might not
like it.

They are generous.We’ve
all worked with people who constantly hold something back, whether it’s
knowledge or resources. They act as if they’re afraid you’ll outshine them if
they give you access to everything you need to do your job. Genuine people are
unfailingly generous with whom they know, what they know, and the resources
they have access to. They want you to do well more than anything else because
they’re team players and they’re confident enough to never worry that your
success might make them look bad. In fact, they believe that your successistheir success.

They treat EVERYONE with respect.Whether interacting with their biggest clients or servers taking
their drink orders, genuine people are unfailingly polite and respectful. They
understand that no matter how nice they are to the people they have lunch with,
it’s all for naught if those people witnesses them behaving badly toward
others. Genuine people treat everyone with respect because they believe they’re
no better than anyone else.

They aren’t motivated by material things.Genuine people don’t need shiny, fancy stuff in order to feel
good. It’s not that they think it’s wrong to go out and buy the latest and
greatest items to show off their status; they just don’t need to do this to be
happy. Their happiness comes from within, as well as from the simpler pleasures—such
as friends, family, and a sense of purpose—that make life rich.

They are trustworthy.People
gravitate toward those who are genuine because they know they can trust them.
It is difficult to like someone when you don’t know who they really are and how
they really feel. Genuine people mean what they say, and if they make a
commitment, they keep it. You’ll never hear a truly genuine person say, “Oh, I
just said that to make the meeting end faster.” You know that if they say
something, it’s because they believe it to be true.

They are thick-skinned.Genuine
people have a strong enough sense of self that they don’t go around seeing
offense that isn’t there. If somebody criticizes one of their ideas, they don’t
treat this as a personal attack. There’s no need for them to jump to
conclusions, feel insulted, and start plotting their revenge. They’re able to
objectively evaluate negative and constructive feedback, accept what works, put
it into practice, and leave the rest of it behind without developing hard feelings.

They put away their phones.Nothing
turns someone off to you like a mid-conversation text message or even a quick
glance at your phone. When genuine people commit to a conversation, they focus
all of their energy on the conversation. You will find that conversations are
more enjoyable and effective when you immerse yourself in them. When you
robotically approach people with small talk and are tethered to your phone,
this puts their brains on autopilot and prevents them from having any real
affinity for you. Genuine people create connection and find depth even in
short, everyday conversations. Their genuine interest in other people makes it
easy for them to ask good questions and relate what they’re told to other
important facets of the speaker’s life.

They aren’t driven by ego.Genuine
people don’t make decisions based on their egos because they don’t need the
admiration of others in order to feel good about themselves. Likewise, they
don’t seek the limelight or try to take credit for other people’s accomplishments.
They simply do what needs to be done without saying, “Hey, look at me!”

They aren’t hypocrites.Genuine
people practice what they preach. They don’t tell you to do one thing and then
do the opposite themselves. That’s largely due to their self-awareness. Many
hypocrites don’t even recognize their mistakes. They’re blind to their own
weaknesses. Genuine people, on the other hand, fix their own problems first.

They don’t brag.We’ve
all worked with people who can’t stop talking about themselves and their
accomplishments. Have you ever wondered why? They boast and brag because
they’re insecure and worried that if they don’t point out their
accomplishments, no one will notice. Genuine people don’t need to brag. They’re
confident in their accomplishments, but they also realize that when you truly
do something that matters, it stands on its own merits, regardless of how many
people notice or appreciate it.

Bringing It All Together

Genuine
people know who they are. They are confident enough to be comfortable in their
own skin. They are firmly grounded in reality, and they’re truly present in
each moment because they’re not trying to figure out someone else’s agenda or
worrying about their own.

What other qualities do you see in genuine people? Please share
your thoughts in the comments section below as I learn just as much from you as
you do from me.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Dr. Travis Bradberryis the
award-winning co-author of the #1 bestselling book,Emotional Intelligence 2.0,and the
cofounder ofTalentSmart, the world's leading provider ofemotional intelligence testsandtraining, serving more
than 75% of Fortune 500 companies. His bestselling books have been translated
into 25 languages and are available in more than 150 countries. Dr. Bradberry
has written for, or been covered by,Newsweek,
TIME, BusinessWeek, Fortune, Forbes, Fast Company, Inc., USA Today, The Wall
Street Journal, The Washington Post, andThe Harvard Business Review.

TV Appearances by Betsy Combier

Lawline

Contact me with a concern or issue

I assist anyone who needs help, so email me your problem to start the ball rolling! I am a teacher/parent advocate, and I am the editor/writer for this blog and the website parentadvocates.org. I also write about court corruption on my blog "NYC Court Corruption". I am interested in random injustice and the criminalizing of innocent people. If you want to chat you may email me at: betsy.combier@gmail.com and I'm on twitter and have a facebook page too. I'm not an attorney and do not give legal advice.

If you want to talk with me about your 3020-a charges, I consult and go over your case without charge. No fee.

And, in response to the lies of certain individuals who resent my work, the truth is that all conversations are confidential and I do not tape secretly.

Testimonial from an Exonerated Teacher

Dear Betsy,I am forever indebted to you, Betsy, for your expert counsel throughout a horrific ordeal. You worked tirelessly to prove my innocence in a 3020a proceeding that was instigated by a corrupt school district and fueled by lies. My proceedings ended with my complete exoneration, my record expunged and my immediate return to the classroom. We didn't even need to file an appeal! Thank you, Betsy. I am now eligible to retire and enjoy the benefits you helped me to protect. God bless you and the work you do protecting the innocent.Sincerely,Maria Gargano

My Thoughts and Raison d'etre

This blog is about the denial of Constitutional rights by the Mayor, the New York City Department of Education and the Chancellor, New York State and Federal Courts, New York State legislature, and the United Federation of Teachers (UFT), as well as PACs and all parties participating in the business of public school education in New York City, to harm and in neglect of parents, children, and staff of public schools in the five boroughs. These thoughts are not simply mindless conclusions reached out of thin air, but a result of 14 years of research into the NYC DOE and the Courts as a reporter and paralegal.
I am an advocate of Unions and union rights, public schools and charters, and learning online as well as outside of the classroom. I cannot and do not support anyone, whether they be union management, government, private members of the political or legal system, or simply retired teachers with an agenda, if he or she tramples, discards, or rebuffs anyone's individual civil rights. As a reporter, journalist, advocate, researcher and paralegal, I have created this blog to inform the public about my experience working for the UFT and being the parent of four daughters who went through the public school system in NYC, as well as examine issues that flow from the massive denial of due process rights that I saw and have documented. The two most important points you should remember: first, everyone at the New York City Board/Department of Education and all Union bigs are motivated by power and money, and looking good. If anyone dares to blow the whistle on these racketeers, retaliation follows, so be a strategist; second, I am not an Attorney and nothing I write or say is legal advice, simply my thoughts. Take 'em or leave 'em.
Betsy Combier, Editor
NYC Rubber Room Reporter
http://nycrubberroomreporter.blogspot.com
New York Court Corruption
http://newyorkcourtcorruption.blogspot.com
Parentadvocates.org
http://www.parentadvocates.org
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/betsy.combier
Twitter: http://twitter.com/BetsyCombier
The NYC Public Voice
http://nycpublicvoice.blogspot.com/betsy.combier@gmail.com
Lawline July 27, 2011
http://www.teachem.com/lawlinetv/learn/lawline-tv-teachers-unions-the-last-in-first-out-rule/

Principal Anne Seifullah changes her image so that she can keep her job amidst sexting and trysts in the school, Robert Wagner Secondary Sch...

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FAITH

When we walk to the edge of all the light we have and take the step into the darkness of the unknown, we must believe that one of two things will happen. There will be something solid for us to stand on or we will be taught to fly. Patrick Overton

Truth Seeks Light - Lies Seek Shadows

Twins Jill Danger (left) and Betsy Combier(right)

sayin like it is

Actions Have Consequences

Writing as Music

Rubber Room teachers wish me a happy birthday (2006)

"Educating the mind without educating the heart is no education at all."

Rubber Room Satire

The Labor Movement

The Teaching Equation

We Can Work Out Our Differences

The E-Accountability Foundation

The E-Accountability Foundation brings you this blog which highlights issues that have or should be read by people interested in civil rights, and accountability. The E-Accountability Foundation is a 501(C)3 organization that holds people accountable for their actions online and, through the internet, seeks to bring justice to anyone who has been harmed without reason. We give the'A for Accountability' Awardto those who are willing to blow the whistle on unjust, misleading, or false actions and claims of the politico-educational complex in order to bring about educational reform in favor of children of all races, intellectual ability and economic status.

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Performance Management - Office of Labor Relations

From Betsy Combier

The NYC Office of Labor Relations, with the support of the UFT, has issued to principals a document called"Performance Management" on how to get rid of an incompetent teacher. Who is an "incompetent teacher"? Anyone the NYC Department of Education wants to remove from the system because he/she is too senior (makes too much money), is disabled (and therefore cannot be deemed factory-perfect) and/or is other impaired (is a whistleblower, cannot be intimidated, is ethnically challenged - not the 'right' race, etc).

Candace R. McLaren

Director, Office of Special Investigations (OSI)

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Polo Colon

"Rubber Room"

(1) a space where a worker subject to a disciplinary hearing or other administrative action waits and does no work; generally, a place or personal mind-set of isolation.(2) a literal reference to a padded cell, which is, according to the New Oxford American Dictionary, “a room in a psychiatric hospital with padded walls to prevent violent patients from injuring themselves.”from Double-Tongued Dictionary http://www.doubletongued.org/index.php/dictionary/rubber_room/

"Rubberization"

The word "rubberization" is a new word that is used to describe the process of assigning and paying people to sit and do nothing in a drab room away from their place of employment while their employers make up charges that allege sexual or corporal misconduct without any facts upon which to base the allegation on.

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Theresa Europe, NYC BOE ATU Director

Robin Greenfield

Deputy Counsel to the NYC DOE

UFT Pres. Mike Mulgrew and NYC Mayor Mike Bloomberg

UFT umbrella pals

New York State Supreme Court Judge Manuel Mendez

ATR CONNECT

Tenured Teachers who are found to be guilty of misconduct or incompetency at 3020-a but are not terminated, who have blown the whistle on the misconduct of politically favored NYC Department of Education employees, and/or who are simply disliked for any reason can suddenly find themselves in the ATR ("Absent Teacher Reserve") pool - employees without rights or voices, and without chapter leader union representation.

This new group of people are the "new" rubber roomers without representation at the UFT and denied the protection of the Collective Bargaining Agreement, because basically they have been pushed out of their jobs unfairly and under color of law by Mayor Bloomberg and the Chief Executives of the Department of Education who call themselves "Chancellors", "Network Leaders", "Superintendents", etc., consistently without any facts or evidence to support the false claims.

A group of teachers who are, or were, made into ATRs, ATR Polo Colon, and I, Betsy Combier, an advocate for transparency and labor/employment rights, have joined together to expose the denial of due process, civil and human rights by chiefs of the NYC Department of Education (NYC DOE), certain arbitrators at 3020-a, leaders of the United Federation of Teachers (UFT), the "investigators" -agents who work for the Special Commissioner of Investigation (SCI), Office of Special Investigation (OSI), and the Office of Equal Opportunity (OEO) - and the Attorneys who work for the New York United Teachers (NYSUT), and the New York Law Department (Corporation Counsel).

In order to protect the safety of those who join this group to promote an end to the "Rubberization" process described on this blog since 2007, names of those who tell their stories will, for now, remain anonymous if the person so desires, and Polo and I will be the gatekeepers. So if you are an ATR, or know a story involving an ATR or someone re-assigned or about to go into a 3020-a, please use the email address advocatz77@gmail.com and give us your contact information. We will protect your anonymity and hold onto your privacy.

Betsy Combier and Polo Colon, Editors

FAITH When we walk to the edge of all the light we have and take the step into the darkness of the unknown, we must believe that one of two things will happen. There will be something solid for us to stand on or we will be taught to fly.

Patrick Overton

We have forty million reasons for failure but not a single excuse.Rudyard Kipling (1865-1936)

The Re-Assignment Overview by Betsy Combier

The New York City Board of Education decided in 2002 to rid the public school system of staff who interfered with their takeover and control. The criteria for a "good teacher" is now, more often than not, a "silent teacher", a person who never asks questions, is younger than 40, is making a salary below $50,000, does not care about kids and what they learn, or whether or not money (books, supplies, equipment, etc) is missing. When a teacher or staff member of a school dares to do the right thing and speaks out about wrong-doing - this person is often called a "whistleblower" or "flamethrower" - or, simply is not liked for any reason by the Principal/NYC personnel, suddenly he/she is accused of something by somebody ("given a label of "A", "B", "C", and so on) and whisked away to a drab room called a temporary re-assignment center or "rubber room". Members of the offices of the Special Commissioner of Investigation or the Office of Special Investigations then start work on building a case against the person to justify their being thrown in prison, declared "unfit for duty", or, as Mr. Joel Klein has said, characterized as "guilty of sexual activities and corporal punishment" against the children of New York City.The stories of the people I have met who sit every day in the 8 rubber rooms of NYC prove to me that Mr. Klein is very wrong about his assessment, and this blog is created to prove it to you.

Puppy Snooze

US Department of Labor ELAWS

Aeri Pang, Gotcha Squad Attorney

Attorney Pang, red dress, now chief Attorney For New York State Supreme Court Judge Cynthia Kern

New York State Supreme Court Judge Cynthia Kern

NYC EdStats You Can Use

$12.5 billion: Annual New York City Department of Education (DOE) budget (2002)

$21 billion: Annual New York City DOE budget (2009)
1,719: Number officials employed by the DOE central administration in June 2002

2,442: Number of officials employed by the central administration as of November 2008

2: Number of DOE officials earning more than $180,000 per year in 2004.

22: Number of DOE officials earning more than $180,000 per year in 2007.

5: Number of DOE public relations staffers in 2003.

23: Number of DOE public relations staffers in 2008.

944: Number of contracts approved by DOE in 2008, at a total cost of $1.9 billion.

20: Percentage of contracts that exceeded estimated cost by at least 25 percent.

$67.5 million: Annual budget of Project Arts, a decade-old program that was the sole source of dedicated funding for arts education. It was eliminated in 2007.

86: Percentage of principals who said in a 2008 poll that they were unable to provide a quality education because of excessive class sizes in their schools.

100,000: Number of seats DOE plans to provide for charter school students by 2012.

25,000: Number of seats DOE plans to build under 2010 to 2014 capital plan.

66,895: Number of K-3 school-children in classes of 25 or more during the 2008-09 school year.

15,440: Average number of seats per year built during the last six years of the Rudolph Giuliani administration.

10,895: Average number of seats per year built during the first six years of the Bloomberg administration.

27.2: Percentage of newly hired teachers in 2001-02 who were Black.

14.1: Percentage of newly hired teachers in 2006-07 who were Black.

53.3: Percentage of newly hired teachers in 2001-02 who were white.

65.5: Percentage of newly hired teachers in 2006-07 who were white.

76: Percentage of white and Asian students who performed better than the average Black and Latino students in 8th grade English Language Arts (ELA) in 2003.

75: Percentage of white and Asian students who performed better than the average Black and Hispanic students in 8th grade ELA in 2008.

77: Percentage of white and Asian students who performed better than the average Black and Hispanic 8th graders in math in 2003.

81: Percentage of white and Asian students who performed better than the average Black and Hispanic 8th graders in math in 2008.

54: Percentage of New York City public school parents who disapproved of Mayor Bloomberg’s handling of education, according to a March 2009 Quinnipiac poll.

Sources: New York City Council, New York City Comptroller’s Office, New York Daily News, New York Post, Eduwonkette, Quinnipiac Institute, Black Educator, Class Size Matters, New York City Schools Under Bloomberg and Klein.

Betsy Combier and NYSUT lawyer Chris Callagy

The New York City Whistle Award

NYC Whistlers, Winners of the NYC Whistle Award

...are those individuals in New York City who are willing to whistleblow unjust, misleading, or false actions and claims of the politico-educational complex in order to bring about educational reform in favor of children of all races, intellectual ability and economic status. Whistlers ask questions that need to be asked, such as "where is the money?" and "Why does it have to be this way?" and they never give up.

These people have withstood adversity and have held those who seem not to believe in honesty, integrity and compassion accountable for their actions.

Congratulations, and keep up the good work!

Betsy Combier

Special Commissioner of Investigation Richard Condon

Condon "qualified" for his current post after Bloomberg lowered standards; who will leash him?

A great teacher

After being interviewed by the school administration, the prospective teacher said: 'Let me see if I've got this right.

'You want me to go into that room with all those kids, correct their disruptive behavior, observe them for signs of abuse, monitor their dress habits, censor their T-shirt messages, and instill in them a love for learning.

'You want me to check their backpacks for weapons, wage war on drugs and sexually transmitted diseases, and raise their sense of self esteem and personal pride.

'You want me to teach them patriotism and good citizenship, sportsmanship and fair play, and how to register to vote, balance a checkbook, and apply for a job 'You want me to check their heads for lice, recognize signs of antisocial behavior, and make sure that they all pass the final exams.

'You also want me to provide them with an equal education regardless of their handicaps, and communicate regularly with their parents in English, Spanish or any other language, by letter, telephone, newsletter, and report card.

'You want me to do all this with a piece of chalk, a blackboard, a bulletinboard, a few books, a big smile, and a starting salary that qualifies me for food stamps. 'You want me to do all this and then you tell me. . . I CAN'T PRAY?

NYC Police Commissioner Ray Kelly

Joel Klein's famous statement about rubber room teachers and staff

On November 27, 2006, temporarily re-assigned teacher (TRT) Polo Colon asked Joel Klein, the "pretend" Chancellor of the NYC public school system, if he had voted to terminate teachers at the secret Executive Session held just before the public meeting of the Panel For Educational Policy.Mr. Klein answered,"We did not vote to terminate you. We did vote to terminate a teacher in executive Session...in fact, we voted to terminate two teachers. It's perfectly consistent with the law.Many teachers have been charged with sexual activities and some are charged with corporal punishment...I have no interest in removing people who are qualified to teach, I can assure you, because I dont get any return...and in fact, I have complained publicly about how long this process drags out. But our first concern will always be and, as a former lawyer and somebody who clerked on the United States Supreme Court I will tell you, there is no violation of due process whatsoever..."- extracted from the audiotape of the PEP meeting bought by Betsy Combier after filing a FOIL request to the NYC BOE

November 26, 2007 Candelight Vigil

The School Law Blog

A Review of Battling Corruption in America's Public Schools by Betsy Combier

Lydia Segal's book puts the NYC, Chicago, and California Departments of Education on notice....we who have read this book know more about how the system is not there for our kids than "you" want us to know. Lydia Segal's book Battling Corruption in America's Public Schools changes the public school reform movement forever. We can no longer assume that more money allocated to our schools will "fix" the disaster that is our public school system.

Lydia Segal draws on her 10 years of undercover investigation and research in over five urban school districts, including the three largest, New York City, Los Angeles, and Chicago, and the two most decentralized, Houston and Edmonton, Canada, to provide, in her new book Battling Corruption in America's Public Schools, the details of the corruption, theft, fraud, and patronage that has overrun our public school establishment for several decades. There is no question that anyone who is interested in school reform -this means anyone who pays taxes, is a parent or guardian of a child attending school and/or who works toward a goal of establishing an education system that puts children first - must read this book. Ms. Segal's research and information on the education establishment's 'dark' side outrages the reader, and incites us to demand change. Her book therefore, is much more than a book, it is a call to action. We cannot be bystanders any longer to the systemic abuse she so vividly describes, and we will never be able to listen in the same way ever again to school Principals, Superintendents, school custodians or district board members as they request more money "to help the children."

The book's detailed reports on the corruption and crime in our public schools, supported by 52 pages of interview notes, references and specific examples, provide irrefutable evidence that the current failures of our nation's public schools are not due to the lack of money but the impossibility of getting the money to the children who need it and for whom the money is allocated in the first place. Recent statistics show that students of all ages are not learning what they need to know, schools are overcome with violence, teachers are demoralized, and yet billions of dollars are literally shovelled into the system every year. The New York City school system receives more than $16 billion every year; Los Angeles, $7 billion; and Chicago, $3.6 billion. Where does this money go? We have all asked this question as we have walked through school hallways dodging the paint falling off the walls and ceilings, watching our children sitting on broken chairs, using bathrooms without running water or toilet paper, and struggling to achieve their personal best without the services and resources they are supposed to have. Battling Corruption in America's Public Schools is the first book ever to systematically examine school waste and corruption and how to fight it. Ms. Segal, an undercover school investigator turned law professor, documents where the money goes, how waste and fraud embedded in the operation of large school bureaucracies siphon money from classrooms, distort educational priorities, block initiatives, and what we can do to bring badly-needed change. She describes in detail how only a small percentage of the money allocated to students in our public schools actually gets used by them due to corruption and waste, and how city school systems scoring lowest on standardized tests tend to have the biggest criminal records and most payroll padding. Coding problems, the procurement process, compartmentalization and opacity of information leave administrators with only two options: good corruption (which ultimately helps the kids) and bad corruption (which never helps anyone but the perpetrator and his/her allies and accomplices). Indeed, the system fights those who try the good corruption route.

Ms. Segal argues that the problem is not usually bad people, but a bad system that focuses on process at the expense of results. Decades of rules and regulations along with layers of top-down supervision make it so hard to do business with school systems that they encourage the very fraud and waste they were designed to curb. She tells us about how the "godfathers" and "godmothers" (the school board members) obtain jobs for their "pieces" in order to protect the systemic waste and fraud from being dismantled or exposed. Fortunately, she writes, there are good people involved in the corruption as well who must violate the rules in order to get their jobs done. Nonetheless, absurdities abound: school systems following rules to save every penny spend thousands of dollars hunting down checks as small as $25; it takes so long to pay vendors for their work that some have to bribe school officials to move their checks along; caring Principals who want to fix leaky toilets may have to pay workers under the table because submitting a work order through the central office could, and often does, take years. Meanwhile, those who pilfer from classrooms get away with it because the pyramidal structure of large districts makes schools inherently difficult to oversee. What makes Battling Corruption in America's Public Schools a must-read is not only the fascinating - and depressing - details of the systemic wrong-doing but also Ms. Segal's suggestions for reform, based on the proven track records of school systems across North America that have successfully reduced waste and fraud and have pushed more resources into schools.

The pathology of the corruption suggests the remedy, Ms. Segal says, which is decentralization of power into the schools and the hands of the Principals. Distilling what successful school systems have done, Segal advocates new forms of oversight that do not clog up school systems and recommends giving principals more discretion over their school budgets as well as holding them accountable for job performance. She argues for "autonomy in exchange for performance accountability" as part of a bold, far-reaching plan for reclaiming our schools. Her conclusion is logical and convincing. Everyone who reads this book will find his or her perception of public school education changed forever. We cannot accept any longer that a generation of children has been abused by a system that is so full of greed and corruption without screaming "stop!" and "Your game is up!"

Segal reveals how systemic waste and fraud siphon millions of dollars from urban classrooms and shows how money is lost in systems that focus on process rather than on results, as well as how regulations established to curb waste and fraud provide perverse incentives for new forms of both. Anyone who is interested in school reform--this means anyone who pays taxes, is a parent or guardian of a child attending school, and/or who works toward a goal of establishing an education system that puts children first--must read this book. --

Lydia G. Segal is Associate Professor of Criminal Law and Public Administration at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, City University of New York.

The NYC BOE FAMIS Online Tour

The FAMIS Portal Online Tour provides an overview and demonstration of the FAMIS Portal. Computer speakers or headphones are recommended. Choose an item of interest below, or click on the Introduction to proceed through all of the modules in sequence.

About Me

Reporter, paralegal, advocate,I will investigate, search on the internet and in all data bases for information that will help a person in need of resolution to a problem.I believe in substantive and procedural due process for all individuals, groups and organizations and trademarked the term "e-accountability" to describe the purpose of my work. I am the parent of four daughters.

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